Identifying and Using Identities Deemed to Be Known to a User

1. A method comprising: maintaining a list of people associated with a user; detecting a first user action; detecting a second user action, wherein each of the first user action and the second user action separately support an inference that a person is associated with the user; inferring that the person is associated with the user based, at least in part, on the detection of both the first user action and the second user action; in response to inferring that the person is associated with the user, adding the inferred person to the list; and using the list to control aspects of communications between the user and others based on whether the others are included on the list.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein inferring comprises detecting positive user actions related to e-mail communications from the person as at least one the first user action or the second user action.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the positive actions include sending an e-mail to the person.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the positive actions include replying to, forwarding, saving, or printing an e-mail received from the person.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the positive actions include moving an e-mail from a first folder to a second folder.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the first folder is an inbox folder and the second folder is a folder other than a delete folder or a spam folder.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein the positive action includes maintaining an e-mail from the person in an open state for a predetermined period of time.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein inferring comprises detecting a communication between the user and the person as at least one of the first user action or the second user action.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the communication is an instant messaging communication.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising inferring that a second person is associated with the user based, at least in part, on indicia other than actions performed by the user, wherein inferring based on indicia other than actions performed by the user comprises: accessing a contact list of the user to determine a first contact on the user's contact list; and accessing a contact list of the first contact to determine a second contact on the first contact's contact list.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein inferring comprises detecting user actions that mitigate against factors that otherwise are used to infer a person is associated with the user.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the first user action comprises the user taking steps to report a communication from the person as spam.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the first user action comprises the user taking steps to add a person to a blacklist.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein first user action comprises the user taking steps to move a communication from the person to at least one of a spam folder or a delete folder.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein people associated with the user are people not distrusted by the user.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein using the list comprises using the list as a white list such that communications received from people on the list are exempt from spam filtering.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein using the list comprises using the list to restrict received communications to those communications from people on the list.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the communications are e-mails.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the communications are instant messages.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein people associated with the user are people known to the user.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein using the list comprises using the list to filter a display of e-mail such that e-mails from people on the list are shown on the display and e-mails from people not on the list are absent from the display.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein using the list comprises using the list to filter a display of e-mail such that e-mails from people not on the list are shown on the display and e-mails from people on the list are absent from the display.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein using the list comprises using the list to restrict which instant messaging interfaces display an online presence of the user to those instant messaging interfaces associated with people on the list.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein using the list comprises using the list as a white list operating in conjunction with parental controls to filter communications from people not on the list when the communications include indicia that the content of the communication is inappropriate for a teen or child account user.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein filtering communications comprises blocking the communications from people not on the list when the communications include indicia that the content of the communication is inappropriate for a teen or child account user.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein filtering communications comprises placing communications from people not on the list in a spam folder the communications include indicia that the content of the communication is inappropriate for a teen or child account user.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the spam folder is locked from the teen or child account user.

28. The method of claim 24 wherein the communications are e-mails.

29. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the first and second user actions has an associated score and wherein inferring comprises: determining an aggregate score format at least the scores associated with the first and second user actions; and comparing the aggregate score to a threshold score to infer whether the person is associated with the user.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the scores associated with the first and second user actions include positive scores for actions that support an inference that the person is associated with the user and negative scores for actions that negate an inference that the person is associated with the user.

31. The method of claim 1 wherein inferring comprises: detecting the two or more actions; determining whether the first and second user actions are a combination of actions that is designated as indicating that the person is known to the user.

32. A tangible computer usable storage medium have a computer program embodied thereon, wherein the computer program comprises instructions for causing a computer to perform the following operations: maintain a list of people associated with a user; detect a first user action; detect a second user action, wherein each of the first user action and the second user action separately support an inference that a person is associated with the user; infer that the person is associated with the user based, at least in part, on the detection of both the first user action and the second user action; in response to inferring that the person is associated with the user, add the inferred person to the list; and use the list to control aspects of communications between the user and others based on whether the others are included on the list.

33. The medium of claim 32 wherein, to infer, the computer program further comprises instructions for causing a computer to detect positive user actions related to e-mail communications from the person as at least one of the first user action or the second user action.

34. The medium of claim 33 wherein the positive actions include sending an e-mail to the person.

35. The medium of claim 33 wherein the positive actions include replying to, forwarding, saving, or printing an e-mail received from the person.

36. The medium of claim 33 wherein the positive actions include moving an e-mail from a first folder to a second folder.

37. The medium of claim 36 wherein the first folder is an inbox folder and the second folder is a folder other than a delete folder or a spam folder.

38. The medium of claim 33 wherein the positive action includes maintaining an e-mail from the person in an open state for a predetermined period of time.

39. The medium of claim 32 wherein, to infer, the computer program further comprises instructions for causing a computer to detect a communication between the user and the person as at least one of the first user action or the second user action.

40. The medium of claim 39 wherein the communication is an instant messaging communication.

41. The medium of claim 32 wherein the computer program further comprises instructions for causing a computer to infer that a second person is associated with the user based, at least in part, on indicia other than actions performed by the user, wherein inferring based on indicia other than actions performed by the user comprises: accessing a contact list of the user to determine a first contact on the user's contact list; and accessing a contact list of the first contact to determine a second contact on the first contact's contact list.

42. The medium of claim 32 wherein, to infer, the computer program further comprises instructions for causing a computer to detect user actions that mitigate against factors that otherwise are used to infer a person is associated with the user.

43. The medium of claim 42 wherein the first user action comprises the user taking steps to report a communication from the person as spam.

44. The medium of claim 42 wherein first user action comprises the user taking steps to add a person to a blacklist.

45. The medium of claim 42 wherein the first user action comprises the user taking steps to move a communication from the person to at least one of a spam folder or a delete folder.

46. The medium of claim 32 wherein people associated with the user are people not distrusted by the user.

47. The medium of claim 46 wherein, to use the list, the computer program further comprises instructions for causing a computer to use the list as a white list such that communications received from people on the list are exempt from spam filtering.

48. The medium of claim 32 wherein, to use the list, the computer program further comprises instructions for causing a computer to use the list to restrict received communications to those communications from people on the list.

49. The medium of claim 48 wherein the communications are e-mails.

50. The medium of claim 48 wherein the communications are instant messages.

51. The medium of claim 32 wherein people associated with the user are people known to the user.

52. The medium of claim 51 wherein, to use the list, the computer program further comprises instructions for causing a computer to use the list to filter a display of e-mail such that e-mails from people on the list are shown on the display and e-mails from people not on the list are absent from the display.

53. The medium of claim 51 wherein, to use the list, the computer program further comprises instructions for causing a computer to use the list to filter a display of e-mail such that e-mails from people not on the list are shown on the display and e-mails from people on the list are absent from the display.

54. The medium of claim 32 wherein, to use the list, the computer program further comprises instructions for causing a computer to use the list to restrict which instant messaging interfaces display an online presence of the user to those instant messaging interfaces associated with people on the list.

55. The medium of claim 32 wherein, to use the list, the computer program further comprises instructions for causing a computer to use the list as a white list operating in conjunction with parental controls to filter communications from people not on the list when the communications include indicia that the content of the communication is inappropriate for a teen or child account user.

56. The medium of claim 55 wherein, to filter communications, the computer program further comprises instructions for causing a computer to block the communications from people not on the list when the communications include indicia that the content of the communication is inappropriate for a teen or child account user.

57. The medium of claim 55 wherein, to filter communications, the computer program further comprises instructions for causing a computer to place communications from people not on the list in a spam folder the communications include indicia that the content of the communication is inappropriate for a teen or child account user.

58. The medium of claim 57 wherein the spam folder is locked from the teen or child account user.

59. The medium of claim 55 wherein the communications are e-mails.

60. The medium of claim 32 wherein each of the first and second user actions has an associated score and wherein, to infer, the computer program further comprises instructions for causing a computer to: determine an aggregate score from at least the scores associated with the first and second user actions; and compare the aggregate score to a threshold score to infer whether the person is associated with the user.

61. The medium of claim 60 wherein the scores associated with the first and second user actions include positive scores for actions that support an inference that the person is associated with the user and negative scores for actions that negate an inference that the person is associated with the user.

62. The medium of claim 32 wherein, to infer, the computer program further comprises instructions for causing a computer to: determine whether the two or more actions are a combination of actions that is designated as indicating that the person is associated with the user.

63. An apparatus comprising: means for maintaining a list of people associated with a user; means for detecting a first user action; means for detecting a second user action, wherein each of the first user action and the second user action separately support an inference that a person is associated with the user; means for inferring that the person is associated with the user based, at least in part, on the detection of both the first user action and the second user action; means for adding the inferred person to the list in response to inferring that the person is associated with the user, and means for using the list to control aspects of communications between the user and others based on whether the others are included on the list.

64. A method, comprising: maintaining a list of online identities associated with an online identity of a first user; detecting a first user action; detecting a second user action, wherein each of the first user action and the second user action separately support an inference that an online identity is associated with the first user; inferring that the online identity is associated with the first user based, at least in part, on a the detection of both first user action and the second user action; receiving an inbound communication from a second user; identifying an online identity of the second user that sent the inbound communication; and regulating communications between the first user and the second user based on whether the identified online identity of the second user is included in the first list or is the online identity inferred to be associated with the first user.